


In the Company of a Cold

by ImperfectOrphanage



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-26
Updated: 2017-03-26
Packaged: 2018-10-11 01:44:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,852
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10452189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImperfectOrphanage/pseuds/ImperfectOrphanage
Summary: Everyone deserves to be pampered when they're ill.---Written for Megafowl / MeredithSock on Tumblr.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Megafowl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Megafowl/gifts).



The denizens of the UnderGround enjoyed playing games and relaxing between shifts. Often the Reapers-both Harrier and Support-would end up in the Dead God’s Pad playing foosball or cards, and a couple had even dragged an arcade machine into the Pad which was programmed with multiple games. The jukebox was thumping with music written by 777 and the bar was well stocked with liquor and snacks.

Joshua didn’t hang out with them much. Not only because he was Composer, but he wasn’t up for socializing on most days. He would remain in the throne room reading a book or magazine while chilling out in his full on Composer form. It hurt to remain bottled up in the shape of a child.

However, he did enjoy listening to the others have fun. He had a small bubble of energy Sanae referred to as Composer TV. It allowed Joshua to remotely watch the people of his city. The music of the Reapers playing and shouting made him smile, just a bit.

It was obvious when the music stopped. Joshua was at first confused, thinking the bubble had malfunctioned or he was having difficultly with his powers. He stared into the bubble and tapped on the side to see the Reapers standing completely still before glancing at each other. Joshua scrolled to the front of the Pad and was alarmed to see a lump of fabric and orange hair.

“Neku?”

He zoomed in on the youth. It was indeed Neku, sprawled on the ground, mumbling about wanting to see the Composer. In one corner of the Pad, Higashizawa rose from a chair and waved the others away, telling them to return later, once the mess was cleaned up.

The Reapers were confused, but they faded from sight.

Joshua slid from the throne, still in his full form, and left the comfort of his solitude to see what the hell was up with his once proxy.

He stepped into the room, touched Higashizawa on the shoulder to nudge him back, and he knelt down to look at Neku’s disheveled features. His hand brushed the wet hair from his face and Joshua nearly gasped in surprise. “He’s burning up.”

“Should I take him to the hospital, sir?”

“No,” Joshua whispered, “I will deal with him. Do not speak to the others about it.”

“Of course, sir,” he bowed, which was an awkward action considering his bulk, “I will pepper the information as little as possible to sate their hunger for the truth.”

Joshua still loved to hear him talk food. “Thank you. Now go.”

“Yes, sir,” he said, and winked out of the room.

It was quiet. Joshua could hear the humming of electricity in the Pad behind the labored breathing of his friend and favorite citizen of Shibuya. He lifted Neku up in his arms and smiled when the boy muttered obscenities at him.

“Temper, temper,” Joshua warned playfully. He saw Neku’s eyes open for two seconds. “Hm, we need to get your fever down…”

Neku said nothing. He was limp in Joshua’s strong arms. It probably felt good to the boy to float in the energy of the city.

Carrying him out of the Pad, Joshua flickered through the music surrounding him as he traveled to his tiny house in the middle of nowhere. He’d had an apartment in the city, but the accommodations provided by the Higher Plane were much nicer and far less noisy. Joshua could keep linked to the city from the plot of several acres of garden and the cottage nestled in the middle. The house was two stories and had a bed and bath on the second floor. On the first was a kitchen, a spare bedroom, a bar, a den, and a living room fully furnished with the latest styles. Joshua decided to forgo the spare room as the bed was not as soft as his.

He took Neku up the stairs and slid the sheets from the bed with a bit of music. Settling the boy onto the mattress he covered him up and tucked him in. Joshua stroked his wet hair and smiled.

Sweating was a good sign, but Neku’s face was far too flushed. The Composer drew a finger over Neku’s forehead and an icepack appeared. He couldn’t directly heal Neku as it was taboo for the Composer to adjust the music of anyone in the RG without specific protocols being followed.

He was already on thin ice with the High Council.

“Fuck,” Neku moaned, trying to kick the blankets off. “I’m cold.”

“Leave the blankets on, Neku,” Joshua said, tucking him back in. He wiggled his fingers and formed a tray of medication onto the bedside table. The first thing for Neku would be fever reducer. Joshua poured a bit into a cup and pressed it to Neku’s lips. “Drink.”

Neku opened his mouth, the liquid dripped onto his tongue, and he sputtered at the taste before swallowing the contents of the cup.

“Good boy,” Joshua said, taking a cloth to wipe the sweat from Neku’s face and neck. “How long have you been feeling ill?”

He opened his eyes. “Joshua?”

“Mmhm. Are you alright, Neku?”

Neku frowned. He glanced around the room. “What am I doing…wait…where am I?”

“You,” he replied, smoothing the sheets, “are in my bed in my house. Do you remember how you got to the Pad?”

“The Pad?” Neku shifted in the blankets. “I don’t know. I was looking for someplace quiet. No one was home and the apartment complex is always noisy during the day. I’m tired.”

“I understand wanting solitude. However, you came to the Shibuya River and passed out in the front room where all the Reapers were. Not exactly your finest moment.” Joshua couldn’t help but smile. “Worry not, Higashizawa and I handled it.”

“Food guy,” Neku said.

Joshua giggled. “You silly, fevered boy. Yes. He’s my Conductor now.”

“Oh,” Neku turned his head to look at Joshua full on, “he’s a nice guy. Uh, why are you glowing?”

“I’m in my Composer form. I don’t particularly like to parade around as a fifteen year old. The skin is constricting and I feel as if I’m wearing a tight coat.”

Neku didn’t reply.

“You should get a little sleep. I gave you some medicine to help the fever. You are completely safe here and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

The boy’s eyes closed slowly and he soon fell into a restless sleep. Joshua watched him for several minutes before deciding to go downstairs and text Sanae. He glided down the stairs with grace and retrieved his phone from his pocket.

_Sanae, we have a small situation. Neku decided to come for a visit._

Not wanting to wait for a response, Joshua entered the kitchen to check his refrigerator. Neku would need to eat when he woke up, and Joshua had a few options. Perhaps he should make vegetable soup from the fresh picked vegetables he’d grown in the garden? Did Neku like vegetables?

Joshua grabbed a box of broth from the back of the fridge before grabbing a large soup pot. He set it on the stove and poured the broth in, mixing a few herbs and such along with. The stove was set on boil and he began to chop vegetables while waiting.

His phone buzzed on the counter.

_Huh. You okay?_

Joshua paused in chopping a zucchini to reply.

_I am quite alright. Neku, however, has a fever around 102. He is currently resting in my bed at home and I would enjoy your company._

He continued to chop vegetables even as the air shifted and he felt Sanae standing next to him.

“Really, Boss? Do ya think it’s wise to wander around naked?”

“I am not naked,” he said, scraping the vegetables in a large bowl. The carrots were next. “I have clothing on under the light. I’m not completely indecent.”

Hanekoma snorted. He washed his hands and opened a cabinet to retrieve a box of noodles. “Y’should put some egg noodles in there. Carbs are good for sleepin’.”

“Good idea,” Joshua replied. “Neku showed up at the Pad completely out of it. The Reapers were incredibly confused. I thought it was cute.”

“How the hell’d he get through the door?”

“Ask him.”

“I think I’ll wait. Kid’s sleepin’. His music is sour.”

Joshua nodded. “Unfortunately my hands are bound when it comes to adjusting RG energy. Neku will need to suffer the cold, but I will make sure he is comfortable.”

“Why?” Hanekoma poured the noodles into the pot once it started to bubble. He took the vegetables and tapped them into the pot and began to stir. “You coulda took ‘im to a hospital.”

“First,” Joshua snapped a bite of carrot off in his mouth, “he hasn’t the money. Second, he came to me and third, who am I to turn the hope of Shibuya away?”

The barista shrugged. He stirred the pot for a bit and put a lid on it. “I ain’t one ta deny tha kid.”

“I know,” he giggled, “you’ve been giving him art lessons.”

“Hey. You’re not supposed to know that.”

Joshua titled his head. “Sanae Hanekoma do you think you can get anything by me in my own city?”

“It’d be nice to have a few secrets.”

“Oh, you have secrets. I still wonder how you can wear the same clothes day after day. Not only is it boring as hell, but I never see you do laundry.”

Hanekoma frowned. He began washing the cutting board and knife. “I don’t need laundry.”

“If you say so,” Joshua mused.

He could feel Neku’s energy in the bedroom above. It was low and quiet, and Joshua sighed as he felt the bits of Shibuya dancing around Neku’s aura. The soup would be done in time for Neku to wake up. Joshua left the kitchen and headed for the den to gather a few books to read while he waited.

Oddly, he felt elated to have someone in his house aside from the Producer.

\---

It didn’t take Neku long to figure out that the house was surrounded by constant light. He was sure he’d been there for a few hours, and it had been getting dark in Shibuya around the time he wandered down the Shibuya River to the Pad. However, here, in Joshua’s house, the light of day still shone.

He wanted to get out of the bed, but his body was exhausted and he was covered in a cold sweat as the fever began to break. The sound of voices in the distant made him go still, and he listened to the quiet footfalls coming up the stairs. It was Joshua.

The full form of the Composer was white and silver, and the outline of Joshua’s much older face and body were barely seen under the glow. Neku narrowed his eyes, but it didn’t do much good.

“You’ll give yourself a headache,” Joshua warned. “I brought you some homemade soup. Sanae and I made it for you. My mother used to make something similar when I felt ill.”

Neku sat up in the bed and leaned against the pillowed headboard. “Thanks. I’m not really hungry.”

“You are,” the Composer said, “because your body needs energy to fight. I know it might be hard to chew and swallow, but the vegetables are soft and the noodles are small. We put in a few herbs to help settle your stomach and calm your immune response.”

“Huh. I usually just get soup from a can.”

“Nonsense. You won’t want watered down cans of soup after you taste this.”

He set a tray on Neku’s lap and handed him a spoon.

“Also, you need to take this medication. It will help you sleep.”

Neku stared into the piping hot soup bowl. The steam rose up to tickle his nose and yet it made his chest feel good when he inhaled.

“I will run you a bath afterward if you want to breathe in steam.”

“Thanks,” he said, quiet. It was strange having a demi-god waiting on him. “I haven’t been cared for like this since mom.”

“Everyone deserves to be pampered when they’re ill.”

Neku took a bite of soup, letting the broth wash over his tongue as the noodles caressed the top of his mouth. A vegetable of some sort entered and he chewed slowly. It was fucking delicious and he took another bite and another before telling Joshua how good it was.

The Composer seemed to know it before he said it, as he sat smiling at Neku.

“Sorry to cause trouble.”

“Don’t apologize. I enjoy your company, Neku.”

While continuing to eat, Neku glanced around the room. It was a Victorian style bedroom with bright fabrics and garish wallpaper. The bed had a canopy and four posts, and the mattress was up off the floor by at least a foot. Under the bed a carpet stretched out in a pattern of flowers and vines. Neku noticed the furniture was old but taken care of. He took another bite of soup and another until the spoon clinked into a near empty bowl of broth. It was only then he stopped looking at the knickknacks and decorations.

“Good job, Neku. Now, take your medication and I’ll draw you a bath.”

“It’d probably work better if you ran a bath.”

Joshua said nothing at first. He then laughed. “Funny.”

“Thanks, I’m here all night.”

Another laugh before Joshua stroked his face and wandered off down the hall. The sound of water running soon followed and Neku glanced at the tray.

He popped the two pills into his mouth and drank the entire glass of water. The soup settled his stomach and calmed the pain in his throat. Neku set the tray aside and rose from the bed. He needed to pee.

“Come on, Neku,” Joshua called.

Neku peeked his head into the large, ornate bathroom. It was also in a similar old style with a claw foot tub and glass shelves of various colored bottles. “Wow.”

“Thank you,” the Composer said. “Would you like a little oil added to the bath? Perhaps a bath bomb or some salts? I could give you a bit of a rub…”

“I’m good, I’m good,” he laughed. “Stop worrying so much.”

Joshua shrugged. “I’ll leave you to care for your needs and come back in half an hour.”

“Thanks,” Neku said, watching Joshua leave. He took care of business and slid into the tub to let the warm water and steam relax his chest. The mucus in his throat and chest began to loosen and he coughed several times as it did.

There weren’t many greater feelings in the world than the first breath of air on irritated lungs. It was cool and he sighed, sinking into the hot water.

The bathroom was glorious. He felt like a prince in a palace. On the ceiling were real flowers growing on a trellis of sorts. It filled the room with a sweet scent. Neku stared at the flowers as he lay half-awake in the hot water. They were beautiful.

He didn’t realize he’d been falling asleep until Joshua came to rouse him from the tub. The sheets on the bed had been changed and Joshua ordered him to dry off, put on a nice pair of pajamas, and get back in the bed to sleep.

The pajamas were silk, and though they were a bit large on Neku’s frame, they were comfortable. He sniffed the collar before realizing what he was doing. Shit.

“Come on, Neku,” Joshua called from the bedroom. “Get in the bed.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he shot back.

The siren call of the bed was hard to ignore. Neku climbed onto the mattress and collapsed into the cool sheets and fluffy pillow. His eyes soon closed and he listened to Joshua humming in the background as the medication fully took control and he fell asleep.

Neku wasn’t sure how long he had been sleeping, yet again, but when he next opened his eyes he was in his own bed in the dark of the night. He could hear the people in the complex getting ready to go to bed as the showers and sinks were running here and there.

His apartment was relatively quiet. He could hear his refrigerator and the washing machine.

Wait. Had he started laundry?

Neku slid from the bed. He peeked out into the living room and saw Joshua milling about, straightening books and furniture. The Composer hummed and sang as he did so, apparently not noticing Neku watch him. Neku backed away and returned to bed. The sheets had been changed while he was out and the bedroom was neat and organized. It didn’t smell like shoes and books. It smelled like flowers.

He looked up.

The ceiling was covered in hanging vines and colorful blooms.

Neku smiled as he closed his eyes, inhaled the sweet scent, and focused on the gentle presence of his friend and caretaker.

It was nice having someone around.


End file.
